Arab League calls to end Israeli ‘escalations’ against Palestinians

The Arab League on Monday said it was looking for ways to end Israel’s “dangerous escalation” of violence against Palestinians amid an ongoing wave of violence over the past several weeks that has seen near-daily Palestinian attacks against Israeli civilians and security forces in Israel and the West Bank.

The 22-member council also warned that chances for a political settlement between Israel and the Palestinians were quickly waning

At a meeting with the representatives of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), the Arab League’s Assistant Secretary-General for Palestine and the Occupied Arab Territories Dr. Said Abu Ali said that “the Palestinian people were rising up to protest Israel’s hostilities against them,” and that “recent escalations threaten peace and security of the entire region,” according to a report by the Qatar News Agency.

Abu Ali called on the international community to protect the Palestinian people and “embrace their right to establish an independent state,” according to the report.

United Arab Emirates Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahyan said: “This emergency meeting comes with the dangerous escalation by the Israeli government, the settlers, the Jewish extremist groups, and the Israeli forces in the blessed city of Jerusalem,” the official Saudi Press Agency reported.

“We gather today to take a decision about what we can do to stop these crimes and violations,” the UAE minister said.

Arab League Secretary-General Nabil al-Arabi called on the UN Security Council and others to work towards an end to the conflict, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

Eleven Israelis and an Eritrean national have been killed in a series of terror attacks including stabbings, shootings and car-ramming attacks against civilians, IDF soldiers and Border Police officers since October 1.

Over that same time period, more than 70 Palestinians were killed, at least 40 of them while carrying out attacks.

Diplomatic efforts, including by the United States and the United Nations, have so far failed to quell the violence, which began two months ago amid tensions surrounding the Temple Mount. In mid-September, Palestinian protesters clashed with Israeli forces at the site on a near-daily basis. By October, the violence escalated to stabbings and shootings, mainly in Jerusalem and the West Bank, but central Israel has also seen some attacks.

Palestinians claim Israel is planning to change the status quo on the Temple Mount — the holiest site in Judaism and the third-holiest in Islam — where Jews can visit but not pray.

Israel has vehemently denied the claim.